美国文学 诗人及作家主题和写作风格分析以及文学术语.docx

3个重要作家Ernest HemingwayErnest Hemingway (1899-1961) is an American novelist, journalist and war correspondent. He is the leading spokesman of the “Lost Generation”, awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954.(Thematic patterns)(1) The Lost Generation: described in “The Sun also Rises” (1926). The generation was “lost” in the sense that they were disillusioned with the war-wrecked world and spiritually alienated from a civilization and replaced by despair or a cynical hedonism.(2) The Hemingway Code Hero: described in “The Old Man and The Sea”(1952). A man can be physically destroyed but never defeated spiritually. (Life is full of tension and battles, the world is in chaos and man is always fighting desperately a losing battle. Those who survive and perhaps emerge victorious in the process of seeking to master the code with a set of principles such as honor, courage, endurance, wisdom are known as the Hemingway code.) (3) Ice theory: The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. Typical of this iceberg analogy is Hemingways style. It means “Less is more”. (e.g: His novel “Indian Camp” has four “Icebergs” as the shadow.)Application: Hemingways Code Hero is embodied in “Indian Camp. It relates the story of young Nick watching his father deliver an Indian woman of a baby by caesarian section with a jack-knife and without anesthesia to relieve the pain. In this novel, Hemingways concern about violence and death by revealing Nicks feeling of perplexity, anxiety and terror over the misery of life and death. Hemingway introduced us five medical knowledge in the novel through the fathers teaching.(Writing style) (1)Hemingways novel are based on using short, simple and conventional words and sentences, precise imagery, and an impersonal, dramatic tone. No detail is wasted.(Less is more).(2) He is good at using “Iceberg Theory”, and colloquial style.(3) Hemingway develops the style of co1loquialism, understatement and symbolism. (4) The accents and mannerisms of human speech are well presented, so the characters are full of flesh and blood. Henry David ThoreauHenry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is an American essayist, poet and philosopher. He is the representative of the philosophical and literary school of American Transcendentalism. In 1845 he built a cabin beside the Walden Pond and lived there in a very simple manner for over two years, which gave birth to a great transcendentalist work Walden (1854).(Writing style)His literary style interweaves close natural observation, personal experience, pointed rhetoric, symbolic meanings, and historical lore, while displaying a poetic sensibility, philosophical austerity, and Yankee love of practical detail. Use precise language, long and complex paragraphs and sentences and vivid, detailed descriptions, made it lucid, simply wrought and unpretentious.(Theme)(1)For Thoreau, nature is not merely symbolic but divine in itself and human beings can receive precise communication from the natural world by way of pure senses.(2) He believed in self-culture and was eager to identify himself with the Transcendental image of the self-reliant man. he thinks, the most important thing for men to do with their lives is to be self- sufficient.(3) He emphasized individual conscience and even considered the society fetters of the freedom of individuals.Walden is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, it emphasizes the importance of self-reliance, solitude, contemplation, and closeness to nature in transcending the desperate existence. Mainly expresses a critique of consumerism and capitalism. He does not perceive nature as a dead and passive object of conquest and exploitation.Walt WhitmanWhitman (1819-1892) is an American poet, essayist, journalist and humanist. He was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, and was also called “the father of verse”. (Writing style)(1) Whitmans poetic style is marked by the use of the poetic I.(2) Whitman is also radically innovative in terms of the form of his poetry, such as adopted free verse.(3)Whitman is conversational and casual, in the fluid, expansive, and unstructured style of talking. Using Parallelism and phonetic at the beginning of the lines.(4) His vocabulary is amazing, he is good at using powerful, colorful words and oral English.(Theme)His poetry is filled with optimistic expectation and enthusiasm about new things and new epoch. (1) He shows concern for the whole hard-working people and the burgeoning life of cities. (2) He advocates the realization of the individua1 value. Most of the poems in “Leaves of Grass” sing of the en-mass and the self as well. (3)Pursuit of love and happiness is approved of repeatedly and affectionately in his lines. (4) Some of Whitmans poems are politically committed. His major work “Leaves of Grass” commands great attention because of its uniquely poetic embodiment of American democratic ideals. He is the poet of the common people and the prophet and singer of democracy.In this poetry collection,(1)Openness, freedom, and individualism are all concerned. (2) It brings the hard-working farmers and laborers into American literature, attack the slavery system and racial discrimination. (3) It extols nature, democracy, labor and creation, and sings of mans dignity and equality, and of the brightest future of mankind . Most of the poems in “Leaves of Grass” sing of the en-mass and the self as well. The work was to express some new poetical feelings and to initiate a poetic tradition and he believed that poetry could play a vita1 part in the process of creating a new nation.文学术语1.Transcendentalism 超验主义Transcendentalism is also called “New England Transcendentalism”. As a philosophical and literary moment, It flourished from 1810 to 1836 around Concord, Massachusetts. It was represented by Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. It has five characteristics: individualism, self-reliance, returning to nature, intuition and national consciousness.2.Prose Epic 散文史诗 It is a long narrative poem telling of heroic deeds of reflecting the values of the society from which it originated. The novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville is regarded as the Great American Novel.3.Free Verse自由体 It is poetry without a fixed beat or regular rhyme scheme. It was invented by Walt Whitman and popular used in “Leaves of Grass.”4.Hemingway Code Hero 海明威式的硬汉 It refers to some protagonists in Hemingways works. In his novels, life is full of tension and battles. The world is in chaos and man is always fighting desperately a losing battle. Those who survive and perhaps emerge victorious in the process of seeking to master the code with a set of principles such as honor, courage, endurance, wisdom, discipline and dignity are known as the Hemingway code. A man can be physically destroyed but never defeated spiritually. It is described in“ The Old Men and the Sea.”5. Lost Generation 迷惘一代 The Lost Generation was a group of rebellious youth appeared in America after the First World War. It is represented by Hemingway. Its described in “The Sun Also Rises.” Thegenerationwas“lost”inthesensethattheyweredisillusionedwiththewar-wreckedworldandspirituallyalienatedfromacivilizationandreplacedbydespairoracynicalhedonism.6.Iceberg theory 冰山理论 The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above the water. Typical of this iceberg analogy is Hemingways style. Hemingways style is actually polished and tightly contro1led, but highly suggestive and connotative. It means “less is more.”7. International theme 国际主题Henry James treatment with the c1ashes between two different cultures and the emotional and moral problems of Americans in Europe, or Europeans in America. 8. Local Colorism 地方色彩 Local Colorism is a unique variation of American literary realism. Local colorism concerned with the life of a small, well-defined region or province, which are marked by its customs, dialects, customs, landscape or other peculiarities. It was represented by Mark Twain, especially in Mississippi life in Mississippi river.诗歌Historical background：Emily Dickinson（1830-1886), the best-known female poet in American literature. Her poems, as well as Walt Whitmans, were considered as a part of American renaissance; they were regarded as pioneers of imagism. (三首诗都可以写上去的，是诗人背景)1.I Died for Beauty （Emily Dickinson） 我为美而死去 （艾米莉狄金森）I died for beautybut was scarce 我为美而死，却还不曾Adjusted in the Tomb 在墓中安息，When one who died for Truth，was lain 一个殉真理的烈士In the adjoining Room 就成了我的近邻He questioned softly “Why I failed?” 他轻声问我“你为何而丧生？“For beauty，”I replied 我会说： “为了美”“And Ifor TruthThemself are One“ 我为真理，真与美本是一体“We Brethren，are，”He said 他说：“我们也是兄弟”And so，as Kinsmen，met a Night 于是，我们像亲戚在黑夜里相逢。We talked between the Rooms 隔着那坟墓喋喋低语，Until the Moss had reached our lips 直到青苔爬到了唇际And covered upour names 遮住了那墓碑上我们的名字。评论：Summary: ThespeakersaysthatshediedforBeauty,butshewashardlyadjustedtohertombbeforeamanwhodiedforTruthwaslaidinatombnexttoher.Whenthetwosoftlytoldeachotherwhytheydied,themandeclaredthatTruthandBeautyarethesame,sothatheandthespeakerwereBrethren.Thespeakersaysthattheymetatnight,asKinsmen,andtalkedbetweentheirtombsuntilthemossreachedtheirlipsandcoveredupthenamesontheirtombstones.Themes: 1.The eternity of death and beauty by describing the moment of death 2. Beauty is truth, truth is beauty. 3. No matter what people died for, their names would be faded away after time passed. 4. an optimism about the afterlife （来世）with barely sublimated(使纯化，使理想化)terror about the fact of deathFeatures: 1. This poem follows many of Dickinsons typical form patterns- the ABCB rhyme scheme, the rhythmic use dash to interrupt the flowbut has a more regular meter.2. Poems contain short lines typically lack titles3. unconventional capitalization and punctuationEffects:Theeffectofthispoemistoshowthateveryaspectofhumanlife-ideals,humanfeelings,identityitself-iserasedbydeath.No matter you are rich or poor, no matter which classes you belong to, no matter what you died for, people are the same after their death. With time passing, they will be forgotten by the later generation. 2.I heard a Fly buzz - when l died I heard a Fly buzz - when I died 我听到苍蝇的嗡嗡声当我死时The Stillness in the Room 房间里，一片沉寂Was like the Stillness in the Air - 就像空气突然平静下来Between the Heaves of Storm - 在风暴的间隙The Eyes around - had wrung them dry - 注视我的眼睛泪水已经流尽And Breaths were gathering firm 我的呼吸正渐渐变紧For that last Onset - when the King 等待最后的时刻上帝在房间里Be witnessed - in the Room - 现身的时刻降临I willed my Keepsakes - Signed away 我已经分掉了关于我的What portion of me be 所有可以分掉的Assignable - and then it was 东西然后我就看见了There interposed a Fly - 一只苍蝇With Blue - uncertain stumbling Buzz - 蓝色的微妙起伏的嗡嗡声Between the light - and me - 在我和光之间And then the Windows failed - and then 然后窗户关闭然后I could not see to see 我眼前漆黑一片评论：Summary: This poem is a description of the moment of death. The speaker starts by mentioning the sound of a fly. Then the speaker tells us about the people standing around her. Then, just when everything is in place, here comes that fly. When that fly shows up, everything changes, and things get stranger and a lot less quiet and comfortable.Themes:Emilyspoemistoldinthepasttensebypersonwhohasalreadydied.EmilyDickinsonusespastandpresenttensewordstogether,whichindicateatransitionbetweenlifeanddeath.Thepoemisironicanduniquebecausethereisaconcernwithamenial（卑贱的）mattersuchasabuzzingflyatthefinalmomentoflife.Features:1. The past tense2. This poem has broken the constraints of traditional cadence(抑扬顿挫) and iambic pentameter. It uses iambic tetrameter(抑扬四步格) and iambic trimester（抑扬三步格）.3.Figurative language：Blue is a symbolic color of death. Light is the symbolic of life and heaven. the King: the God of Death. Windows: the door to heaven.4. Poems contain short lines typically lack titles5. Unconventional capitalization and punctuation6. Rhetoric techniques: personification-make some of abstract ideas vividEffects: This poem is a description of the moment of death. Dickinsons attitude towards death is that of peaceful acceptance. She even imagined her own death, the loss of her own body, and the journey of her soul to the unknown. WhetherornotDickinsonsdescriptionofdeathisrealisticornot,sheisabletoachieveitthroughthegrammaticalchoosesshemakes. This poem is considered one of her masterpieces and perhaps her greatest rendering of the moment of death.3.Because I could not stop for Death-Because I could not stop for Death- 因为我不能停下来等待死神-He kindly stopped for me 他和善地为我而停下The Carriage held but just Ourselves 四轮马车只载着我俩- And Immortality. 还有不朽。 We slowly droveHe knew no haste, 我们慢慢前行-他不慌不忙And I had put away 而我也收拾起My labor and my leisure too, 我的劳动和闲暇，For His Civility 因他的彬彬有礼 We passed the School, where Children strove我们经过学校，正值课间休息At recessin the ring 孩子们围成圆环-打逗- We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain 我们经过农田凝望五谷We passed the Setting Sun 我们经过落日Or ratherHe passed Us 确切地说-是他经过了我们-The Dews drew quivering and chill 那露水引来了冷颤寒气- For only Gossamer, my Gown 因我的女礼服-仅为纤细的薄纱织物 My Tippetonly Tulle我的披肩-不过是绢网而已We paused before a House that seemed 我们停步于一所房子前 A Swelling of the Ground 那似乎是一片隆起的地面- The Roof was scarcely visible 屋顶几乎看不见- The Cornicein the Ground 宛如飞檐装饰着大地- Since thentis centuries and yet 自那以后-若干个世纪-Feels shorter than the Day 可还是感觉比那天短，I first surmised the Horses Heads 我首次猜测到，那马头Were toward Eternity- 是朝向永恒之地- 评论：In Brief: Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is a lyric poem on the theme of death. It reveals the authors calm acceptance of death. She holds ambivalent attitudes towards death. On the one hand, death is a stage of life, where man bids farewell to the human world and goes to the Heaven; death is a release from a lifetime of work and suffering to a lasting peace in heaven. Therefore, she depicts the dark subject of death in a light tone. In this poem Dickinson personifies death and immortality so as to make her message strongly felt and vivify the abstract ideas. On the other hand, she feels uncertain about immortality of death.Themes: 1.Death: (1) death is nothing to be feared since it is a nature part of the endless cycle of nature. (2) death is not only the beginning ,because to die is to go on another journey 2. Immortality: Although death takes one away from the earthly world, there is still something to look forward to when one dies: Eternal life.3. Society and politics: transcendentalism 4. Love: suffering and frustration caused by love5. Nature Features: 1.Irregular stanza rhyme：The whole poem with four feet iambic and three feet iambic appears an alternate layout. 2. Unconventional capitalization and punctuation3. Rhetoric techniques: 1.personification-make some of abstract ideas vivid 2. Alliterationdepict a continuity of scenes eg. We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain We passed the Setting Sun 3. Metaphorimplies the passage of birth, growth, maturity and death Eg. School, where Children strove- childhoodFields of Gazing Grain- maturitySetting Sun- old ageA swelling of the ground- the grave (the end of lifes journey)诗人背景：Frost is an important poet in the 20th century. Robert Frost is mainly known for his poems concerning New England life. Many of his poems are fragrant with natural quality. Images and metaphors in his poems are drawn from the rural world, the simple country 1ife and the pastoral 1andscape. However, profound ideas are delivered under the disguise of the p1ain language and the simple form.（3首都可以用）4.Mending Wall Something there is that doesnt love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it And spills the upper boulders in the sun, And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. The work of hunters is another thing: 5 I have come after them and made repair Where they have left not one stone on a stone, But they would have the rabbit out of hiding, To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean, No one has seen them made or heard them made, 10 But at spring mending-time we find them there. I let my neighbor know beyond the hill; And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. 15 To each the boulders that have fallen to each. And some are loaves and some so nearly balls We have to use a spell to make them balance: “Stay where you are until our backs